Shop plan is 'horrendous'

CAMPAIGNING residents have won the first round of their battle to stop a prominent town centre store in Portishead being demolished.At a meeting of Portishead and North Weston Town Council on Wednesday night, councillors agreed to reject plans to pull down Worthingtons in the High Street and replace it with a three-storey department store.The move follows growing concern about the development amongst the town's residents who say the move would destroy the town's Victorian High Street.Concerned resident and conservationist Catherine Stockham, who has put up posters across the town objecting to the development, told the meeting: "This Victorian building is key to the streetscape."This proposal is horrendous and the proposed canopy at the front of the shop would just provide an ideal place for drunks to sit."It is terribly sad that we see Portishead In Bloom members working their socks off to make the town look attractive and at the same time developers are trying to propose a very ugly building."Councillors agreed the plans should be rejected and said they were concerned the application ignored the supplementary planning guidance for Portishead.A final decision on the scheme will be made by North Somerset Council.